Broken
by Center of the Galaxy
Summary: When he had returned to his apartment, all her stuff was gone and her key was lying next to his. There was no note—no last word of farewell—and Nate sealed her off. His time with Elena was over. It was time he got back to reality. *Post Uncharted 1*


_**Author's Note: **__I always wondered why Nate and Elena broke up in-between Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2, so I thought I would give a stab at it. Thank God that they are together in Uncharted 3! Anyways, please enjoy! _

It isn't working out. It's a simple fact that neither one of them wants to acknowledge about their relationship.

After they became suddenly rich—thanks to Sully and a few dead pirates—Elena wanted to go back to the U.S. He could understand why she wanted to—hell, even he wanted to take a break from treasure hunting after they were almost killed by weird zombie creatures. So, when she asked if he was coming back with her, he had agreed.

Their first "official" date was in a nice restaurant where they discussed nothing about their previous adventure and instead got to know about each other. He had learned, for instance, that her favorite color was pale blue and that she hated spaghetti. He had, in turn, divulged how he had known from an early age that he wanted a more adventurous side of life. Their chemistry during their bizarre adventure only intensified and he no longer felt the urge to go and pillage ruins for treasure like he used to.

At one month, they were sharing keys to their respective apartments. Elena had smiled widely and her eyes had sparkled when he had handed her the key and for once, Nate felt comfortable with staying put. He wanted this—whatever you could call their relationship—to work. He allowed her to get closer than he had allowed any girl before her. He told her about his mother, who had died when he was 12, and about his dad who he hadn't spoken to for 10 years. He spoke about how Sully had taken him and mentored him in what he knew how to do best—steal treasure. Always, she listened with her eyes trained closely on his. He had never had someone listen to him completely like she did.

When two months rolled around, he was considering asking her to come live with him. He justified it to Sully by saying that she was just spending more and more time at his place and that it was waste of her money because she paying rent on an apartment that she barley used, but the older man had simply smirked and chuckled while muttering something about how he was a goner. To be honest, Nate didn't really care. He was beginning to think of his life as black and white until he had met her. Elena had changed him and made him feel loved and treasured. He didn't need the rush of the hunt for treasure—not when he got a similar rush from her beaming at him.

When they hit the three month mark, he asked her to move in with him and she had agreed. They fell into an easy pattern. Elena would go to work, Nate would meet up with Sully—who was still trying to convince him to come back to the treasure hunting fold—and then the two would meet back at "their" place for dinner. It was one night, as she was serving herself some dinner, that she said:

"I love you, Nate."

He glanced up from his plate and saw a small grin on her face. She sat down beside him and placed her hand over his and repeated those three words.

"I love you."

He froze.

She waited for a response but instead got him muttering something about needing to meet Sully. He had left her bewildered as he practically ran out of his apartment and down to Sully's favorite bar. Sully said nothing as he slid into the seat next to him and ordered a beer. He stayed there with his mentor for two hours before heading back to his place.

She was waiting up. He said nothing as he saw her worried face. Grabbing a few sheets from his bed, he slept on the couch. He swore he could've heard her crying, but for some reason didn't feel compelled to go to her. What was wrong with him? Why did those three words suddenly give him this urge to flee, to run, to get the hell away from her and get back on with his dangerous treasure hunting lifestyle?

The next morning, Elena tried to talk to him about what happened, but Nate didn't want to talk. She pushed the matter until they got into an argument. Their voices mingled together as yelled until it finally didn't matter what either one of them was saying—the anger was still there and it had damaged them. She stormed out and he was left staring at her retreating back, wondering what went wrong.

Within a week of that incident, they had apologized and things were almost back to the way they were. There was still tension in the air, but he was sure it would fade with time.

"They offered me a job today."

"What?"

"A new show topic for me," She explained, avoiding his gaze. "About this guy named Zoran Lazarevic—"

"You would have to leave." It's a statement, not a question. He knew what countries Elena would go into and he knew how dangerous they were.

"Well, yeah—" He stood up, a motion which silenced her.

"It's dangerous," Nate growled. "I don't want you to—"

"And what you like to do isn't dangerous?" She retorted. "Nate, I didn't ask you to stop doing what you love. I'll be careful."

Being careful isn't enough.

"Count me out." He replied flatly. He slammed her key on the table—the one she had given him two months ago and that he had kept because it had been his treasure for all this time—and walked out the door, never looking back.

Their relationship had ended that day. He joined back up with Sully and was prepared to go steal more treasure. When he had returned to his apartment, all her stuff was gone and her key was lying next to his. There was no note—no last word of farewell—and Nate sealed her off. His time with Elena was over. It was time he got back to reality. He was a treasure hunter—someone who risked his life on a daily basis—and he didn't need someone to tie him down.

At least, that's what he told himself when he went to sleep, thinking of her.

_**Author's Note: **__Please review! _


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